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Blood Winter by: Diana Pharaoh Francis

Posted by
Krystal Larson
at
1:28 AM
Thursday, January 10, 2013

Set in apocalyptic America and featuring a magically enslaved heroine who is “a riveting mixture of guts, compassion, and furious anger as she struggles with a world coming apart at the seams” (Romantic Times), the fourth in a dynamic dark urban fantasy series unlike anything you’ve ever read before.
Winter is coming to Montana and Shadowblade warrior Max is expecting trouble. People are hoarding everything. They are banding together, many flocking to the congregation of Sterling Savage, a fire-and-brimstone preacher. A charismatic cult leader who claims to be the Hand of God, he’s determined to create a human utopia and destroy all magic, starting with witches.

Unbeknownst to him, the “divine” voice he’s been hearing isn’t God but a demon that feeds on hate, death, and destruction. Savage is the perfect puppet for the demon’s ambitions. Max and her people at Horngate are all that stand in its way, and they are woefully unprepared.

Conducting terrible, bloody ceremonies to boost his own power and that of the demon riding him, Savage starts a war between his congregants and two other powerful gangs in the city, fighting for food, fuel, clothing and territory. When he manages to capture Max’s niece, brother, and several teenagers from Horngate, Max tries to free them but finds that Savage has twisted their minds. They worship him—even her brother, who is a witch and whom Savage intends to burn at the stake. Going undercover in the cult compound, Max swiftly realizes just how seductive Savage is. His charisma is reinforced with magic. His followers adore him and will do anything for him. Anything.

But courage, loyalty, and friendship are powerful forces—and Max doesn’t like to lose.

Goodreads Summary

Max, a female supernatural warrior, is the leader of the Shadowblades. Immortal, unable to have children or walk in sunlight, and enslaved by their creator, life as a Shadowblade is not easy. Max and Alexander, her romantic interest, have their work cut out for them. They fight evil creatures, try to figure out where they stand with their relationship, and face off against a corrupt religious leader who is causing chaos. I am afraid to say much else about the plot for fear of giving away too much! Blood Winter is filled with action and romance. Although I have yet to read the other books in the series, I had a great time with this book. Diana Pharaoh Francis wrote a great read.
Lovers of fast-paced novels and supernatural creatures would love Blood Winter. I could imagine any readers above the age of eighteen enjoying this novel. The author wrote Blood Winter in such a way that I fell into the plot. The book is written in third person, switching between Max and Alexander’s points of view. I liked the changing perspectives and thought that Blood Winter would not have been as good if only one viewpoint had been used. I give Blood Winter 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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I'm a young college student who has probably read over 5000 books over the course of my short life; some of the books were classics, some of the books were terrific, and some of the books were...misses. Even with the latter part I will always believe in the power of books to completely remove the reader from his/her present reality. Long Live Books!
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